Collaboration breeds innovation and growth.

I am a big fan of collaboration. Combining your thoughts with those of others will produce completely new ideas. Collaboration is a reciprocal process—one you contribute to and one you receive from.

Successful people have advisers to brainstorm with, stim­ulate them, provide a reality check, or simply confide in when they feel alone. Successful CEOs carefully select their man­agement team and advisory board, looking for those who can provide unique perspectives. Successful organizations invest in personal mentors for their leadership team—and none of this is unique to business. Every head coach in every sport, at every level, has a team of assistant coaches to advise them. Every healthy family unit is happy and growing because of a shared effort, and every product goes through some kind of quality control process that involves collaboration.

This kind of shared thinking creates faster and stron­ger growth than solo thinking. So why then, despite all the evidence around us that collaboration works, do few of us actively seek out our own coach, helper, or collaborator?

My business coach frequently tells me that I am unique in my willingness to be a student of life. She says that I am far more willing to ask for help than most folks—but that’s why I’ve made so much more progress toward living my dreams than many others.

When we first met, she asked me, “Jim, did you come with an owner’s manual?” Nope—but hey, wouldn’t that be cool? The reality is none of us came with instructions. If there were an owner’s manual for humans, it would focus on collaborating with other people and asking for help when needed.

What if all that stands between you and this being your best year ever is your decision to collaborate, reach out, and ask for help?

What if all that stands between you and progress toward your growth, your goal, or your ideal life is asking for help?

What if?

Does it motivate you to ask for help? It motivates me.

May this week be the first of many weeks you decide to be different and actively seek help; seek to collaborate, and be willing to take part in shared thinking. I invite you to put your ego aside and ask for assistance. Whether it is business or personal, something magical happens when we consciously decide to collaborate with others—we accelerate growth and innovation! Imagine how cool that would be.